In December, a soldier serving in Afghanistan was shot and killed after he and his colleagues had been playing with their weapons. The military had reported that the soldier had accidentally shot himself while cleaning his weapon. According to preliminary investigations, however, he was killed by a shot fired by a fellow soldier. Mr. Guttenberg, who regularly visits the 4,700 German troops in Afghanistan, was there last month.

And over the past three months, many letters sent home by German troops in Afghanistan were, according to a report issued last week by Mr. Königshaus, “systematically” opened before delivery. Some envelopes were even empty when they reached their destination.

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Analysts say the scandals, which have come to light over the past 10 days, reflect a lack of communication between the military leadership and Mr. Guttenberg — or else that Mr. Guttenberg has been trying to cover up the incidents to protect his reputation, a charge he has denied.

Mr. Guttenberg relieved Norbert Schatz, the commander of the Gorch Fock, of his post last weekend. Opposition leaders said Mr. Guttenberg was reacting too hastily and in his own interest.

The dismissal came as the mass circulation daily Bild, with whom Mr. Guttenberg has very close contacts, was about to publish embarrassing details about the Gorch Fock. “One call from Bild and everything changes,” said Frank-Walter Steinmeier, parliamentary leader of the opposition Social Democrats.

Mr. Königshaus, a member of the Free Democrats, the junior partner in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative-led coalition, said there were “many distasteful things which happened that have been reported to me.”

He did not provide any details about the conditions aboard the Gorch Fock. But the weekly news magazine Der Spiegel quoted an internal report saying that cadets had to cope with drunken crew members, death threats and sexual harassment. The magazine's online edition reported that the captain “often appeared on deck in swimming trunks.” It said cadets complained that crew members drank excessively and that they were forced to clean vomit off the deck.

Mr. Königshaus could give few details about the death of the soldier in Afghanistan or the opening of mail but said he was looking into both issues.